It's Wednesday and I've accomplished absolutely nothing this week. I just can't seem to get motivated. I guess it's time to check my alignment once again.
What's that? Check my alignment? Why whatever do you mean?
Let me explain. About eight years ago, I was in the same situation. I had lost all motivation. I just couldn't find the excitement and the passion for my work that I'd had in the past. I actually dreaded having to go to work each day. Then I read an amazing article. It said that just as your car will squeak and make unpleasant sounds when it is not in alignment, so too will your soul when your business tasks are not in alignment with your vision, mission and values.
Before investing more time and efforts to take your business or organization to a fascinating new level, you must re-evaluate first what your primary values are, how you prioritize them inside you, and, see if your business activities support and are in alignment with the priority of your values.
For example, eight years ago my father, who had Alzheimer's, moved in with me. At the time, I used to travel quite a bit to speak to specific groups of people to market the business for the company I worked for. To be successful and get promoted, I needed to travel and speak and network more frequently. There were lots of late nights and long weeks and too many weekends when I was not at home.
But, family life is on the very top of my priority list, in a place higher than business or career success. So, whenever my work required that I travel for an extensive amount of time, my inner self experienced a misalignment. I still went ahead and did what my “head” told me I was supposed to do, but my heart was centered to my values. When the head pulls the whole body to do what it dictates it to do, the heart starts to send out signals to you that if you don’t make adjustments, you will not stay in wholesome health any longer. The heart sends out signals by decreasing your enthusiasm, motivation and self-esteem. You start seeing yourself get down more easily, you feel lonely, not understood and you feel that you get angry easily or you get blamed for shutting your emotions. And that is exactly what happened. Whereas I once enjoyed traveling and meeting with our clients, now I simply wanted to get the trip over with so I could get home. I started making excuses to cut trips short or to send someone else. And when I had to go I was sick and depressed most of the time. I did not give clients the attention they had come to expect. I knew I had to do something or instead of getting that promotion, I would be looking for a different job!
In the article, it said that one of the easiest ways to figure out what your values are and in what priority they are in is to make a “Desire List.” Ask yourself , “What do you want?” Then, begin to jot down your list of answers. Don’t judge yourself for your wants. You need to create a safe and open environment for yourself so that your true self gets uncovered. Don’t be ashamed to say, “I want to own a house by the lake with an amazing view to the mountains and a dock for launching your very own boat.” Or, “I want to be the most influential leader and the expert of experts of my field.” Or, “I want to be a famous dancer!” Just let things flow. Let the same question come at you for 10 to 15 minutes. You may start getting bored of the same question, but you may start seeing what is hiding under those wants. Your initial “wants” are really saying, “I want to be recognized.” “I want to be trusted and respected.” “I wanted to be loved by my family members.’ “I want to be understood and loved for the real me.” “I want to make a difference in this world.”
Your wants and desires express your values.
Take your top 5 values and complete the following questions to get an inner alignment:
1. What are you doing on a daily basis to support these values?
2. What are you doing on a daily basis that does not support these values or that are in conflict with these values?
3. How can you modify your business life so that you support your most important values? How can you eliminate or start eliminating business activities that are in conflict with your values? If these business activities are important to the growth of your business, what else is out there for you to consider for the replacement of such activities. Take the example above; ask yourself if you can find out ways to market the same audience through the phone, internet and other ways? Hold a teleseminar? For me, the answer was fairly simple - and terribly scary! I decided to quit my job and start a business that I could run from home at least part time.
If you are a busy business owner or organizational leader, you will have many activities and to-do’s everyday. Form the habit to run your business tasks through these results-proven questions and get your alignment checked periodically. It's the best way to keep yourself headed for success. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Starbucks for a lube job with a Grande White Chocolate Mocha and an alignment. Once I get myself straightened out, I'll run much more efficiently!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Free gift - 4-day video course!
I've never heard of anything like it...
Derek Gehl just got challenged by some frustrated blog reader to PROVE it's possible to start a money-making online business in ONE WEEK OR LESS....
And Derek accepted the guy's challenge! How's he going to prove you can build a profitable business in such a short time? Simple: He's going to do it himself -- on camera! Yep, that's right...
...Derek is going to start a brand-new business 100% from scratch in less than ONE WEEK -- and he's going to film the entire process and turn it into a FREE video course, so you can see how easily it can be done!
Derek will release the complete "X-Treme Challenge" video course over a four-day period: April 21-24th. These videos will be absolutely FREE, but will only be made available to people who sign up for Derek's notification list.
So if you want to learn how to build a money-making online business in ONE WEEK OR LESS, then I urge you to go to:http://www.marketingtips.com/xtreme-challenge/t/649426
Make sure you set aside at least one hour each day on April 21-24th, so you can watch Derek's FREE training videos and implement the lessons you learn right away....
Who knows? You could be making good money online by the 1st week in May!
Derek Gehl just got challenged by some frustrated blog reader to PROVE it's possible to start a money-making online business in ONE WEEK OR LESS....
And Derek accepted the guy's challenge! How's he going to prove you can build a profitable business in such a short time? Simple: He's going to do it himself -- on camera! Yep, that's right...
...Derek is going to start a brand-new business 100% from scratch in less than ONE WEEK -- and he's going to film the entire process and turn it into a FREE video course, so you can see how easily it can be done!
Derek will release the complete "X-Treme Challenge" video course over a four-day period: April 21-24th. These videos will be absolutely FREE, but will only be made available to people who sign up for Derek's notification list.
So if you want to learn how to build a money-making online business in ONE WEEK OR LESS, then I urge you to go to:http://www.marketingtips.com/xtreme-challenge/t/649426
Make sure you set aside at least one hour each day on April 21-24th, so you can watch Derek's FREE training videos and implement the lessons you learn right away....
Who knows? You could be making good money online by the 1st week in May!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
You've Got To Do Something!
Do you wonder why some people are successful and others aren't? I recently had this discussion with someone who is part of my Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing downline. He wanted to know why I had lied to him. Lied to him about what? He joined Fortune. He paid his $299, switched his cell phone to AT&T through Fortune, bought some vitamins, and sat back and waited. One year later he had made $21.00 and had no one in his own downline. He wanted to know why he wasn't making the money everyone else was claiming to make. Why? Because first you actually have to DO something.
Over the years, I've discovered there are 3 steps you must take to become successful at anything. First you have to be willing to make a decision. My team member had trouble with this. He would agonize forever about who to talk to, how to present the business plan, whether or not to ask someone to be a customer. These were all fairly simple decisions to make and yet he never could make one and stick with it. I'd hate to see how long it took him to make decisions that actually required some thought!
Second, once you make a decision to do something, you have to actually DO it. I asked this person how many people he had actually shown the business plan to in the past year. His answer - one! Then I asked him how many people he had shown our products and services to and asked them to become his customers. The answer - zip, zero, zilch! Did he go to any training? No. Listen to any conference calls? No. And he reaped the rewards of his inaction - nothing.
The third thing you must do is surround yourself with the people who ARE doing it. Instead of coming to training meetings or business presentations or even listening in on the conference calls where he would be with people who were successfully building their Fortune businesses and were positive and uplifting about their experience, he hung out with others who continually reinforced his belief that he had been taken advantage of, that network marketing was nothing more than a scam, and that it would never work for him.
If you buy a McDonald's franchise and then keep the door locked, you will not make any money. If you say you want to get in shape and continue to sit on the couch every day, you will not see any difference. If you get involved with a network marketing business and then don't talk to anyone, you will fail!
"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But these are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction" John F. Kennedy
"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." Henry C. Link
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. " Theodore Roosevelt
Make decisions!
Take massive action!
Surround yourself with successful people!
Let's make the next year amazing!
Over the years, I've discovered there are 3 steps you must take to become successful at anything. First you have to be willing to make a decision. My team member had trouble with this. He would agonize forever about who to talk to, how to present the business plan, whether or not to ask someone to be a customer. These were all fairly simple decisions to make and yet he never could make one and stick with it. I'd hate to see how long it took him to make decisions that actually required some thought!
Second, once you make a decision to do something, you have to actually DO it. I asked this person how many people he had actually shown the business plan to in the past year. His answer - one! Then I asked him how many people he had shown our products and services to and asked them to become his customers. The answer - zip, zero, zilch! Did he go to any training? No. Listen to any conference calls? No. And he reaped the rewards of his inaction - nothing.
The third thing you must do is surround yourself with the people who ARE doing it. Instead of coming to training meetings or business presentations or even listening in on the conference calls where he would be with people who were successfully building their Fortune businesses and were positive and uplifting about their experience, he hung out with others who continually reinforced his belief that he had been taken advantage of, that network marketing was nothing more than a scam, and that it would never work for him.
If you buy a McDonald's franchise and then keep the door locked, you will not make any money. If you say you want to get in shape and continue to sit on the couch every day, you will not see any difference. If you get involved with a network marketing business and then don't talk to anyone, you will fail!
"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But these are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction" John F. Kennedy
"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." Henry C. Link
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. " Theodore Roosevelt
Make decisions!
Take massive action!
Surround yourself with successful people!
Let's make the next year amazing!
Monday, March 24, 2008
What Can I Sell?
My daughter has FINALLY seen the benefits of having her own internet business. So she has decided to start a couple of her own. She went through the steps listed in my last post and came up with two areas she is absolutely passionate about - crafts and photography. She decided to use blogs as her way of creating a space on the internet since she can't afford a web designer and she doesn't think she knows how to do it herself. Then she emails me: "Mom, until I decide what type of product or service I am going to create of my own, where can I find some of those affiliate products you are always talking about?"
Good question! Where DO you find affiliate programs that are in your market niche? I have some recommendations. First, check out Affiliate Showcase, run by my friend Ken McArthur http://www.AffiliateShowcase.com/?46035. Ken has put together a site where you can access hundreds of programs that will pay you commissions of 50% or more. You can even be an affiliate for Affiliate Showcase (I am!). I did some research for my daughter and found 10 good products here that she can promote.
Another great source of products is Clickbank (http://www.clickbank.com/). Checking here, I found another 29 products she could promote.
Some other sites you may want to look at as well are:
http://www.cj.com/
http://www.linkshare.com/
Each of these had additional products in her areas of interest. So I'm going to email her back and tell her to check out each of these sights for ideas. I'm sure she'll get right back to me with another question - how does she know which affiliate programs are best. On Affiliate Showcase, Ken has actually ranked and recommended programs. But with Clickbank and the others it's not quite so easy. But there is a way - and that's a post for another day!
One last thing - one that is very important to me. I just found out about this event where millions of people around the world are joining together to make a statement about climate change by turning their lights off for an hour. It's called Earth Hour and I just signed-up to participate-I thought it might be something you'd want to sign up for too. Earth Hour is on March 29 from 8 - 9 p.m. local time, and it looks like it's going to be really big. So far 25 cities around the world are taking part, including Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco in the U.S.Sign up for Earth Hour by visiting www.earthhour.org/sign-up and join the movement with me. And remember - Lights Out on March 29!
Good question! Where DO you find affiliate programs that are in your market niche? I have some recommendations. First, check out Affiliate Showcase, run by my friend Ken McArthur http://www.AffiliateShowcase.com/?46035. Ken has put together a site where you can access hundreds of programs that will pay you commissions of 50% or more. You can even be an affiliate for Affiliate Showcase (I am!). I did some research for my daughter and found 10 good products here that she can promote.
Another great source of products is Clickbank (http://www.clickbank.com/). Checking here, I found another 29 products she could promote.
Some other sites you may want to look at as well are:
http://www.cj.com/
http://www.linkshare.com/
Each of these had additional products in her areas of interest. So I'm going to email her back and tell her to check out each of these sights for ideas. I'm sure she'll get right back to me with another question - how does she know which affiliate programs are best. On Affiliate Showcase, Ken has actually ranked and recommended programs. But with Clickbank and the others it's not quite so easy. But there is a way - and that's a post for another day!
One last thing - one that is very important to me. I just found out about this event where millions of people around the world are joining together to make a statement about climate change by turning their lights off for an hour. It's called Earth Hour and I just signed-up to participate-I thought it might be something you'd want to sign up for too. Earth Hour is on March 29 from 8 - 9 p.m. local time, and it looks like it's going to be really big. So far 25 cities around the world are taking part, including Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco in the U.S.Sign up for Earth Hour by visiting www.earthhour.org/sign-up and join the movement with me. And remember - Lights Out on March 29!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Failure or Success?
There are three main reasons why home based businesses fail:
1. Poor planning
2. Poor marketing
3. Poor management
According to a report I read recently, over 90% of all network marketers, affiliate marketers or other work-at-home business people quit within the first year. Then they proceed to go out and tell everyone they know that you can't make money with a home business. It drives me crazy when I think how many people could have been successful with just a little planning, training, and time management.
If you think you have the idea for the next great business, or you've found the perfect MLM, or an excellent affiliate program - GREAT! Now, before you do anything else, write your plan. If your business is already somewhat established such as a network marketing, MLM, or affiliate program, much of that is already done for you. But you still need to plan how you are going to build YOUR team or downline or customer base or opt-in list. If you are actually looking a starting your own unique business then get a business plan template (most banks will give you one for free) and write your business plan.
82% of businesses fail due to poor cash flow or by starting out with too little money. Make sure you look at the money involved in starting your business. Many network marketing and MLM opportunities say they cost little or nothing to join. That may be true. They neglect to tell you that you have to spend hundreds of dollars each month to purchase products in order to make any money. Don't be like a friend of mine who joined a MLM company and quit her job two days later because she was going to make a fortune! Needless to say, she is back at work, in debt, and very bitter about the whole MLM industry. Could she be at home today making a decent living from this company? Possibly. But she did not consider all of the financial costs involved with successfully marketing an MLM opportunity and had nothing to fall back on until she built a business.
So you wrote your plan. You examined the financial costs of your business. You have the cash to make this work. You have a source of income or some savings put aside to live on until you start bringing in enough income to live on. You're on your way to success. Wait a minute! What was that second reason most businesses fail? Something about marketing? Oh well, it can't be that important. After all, it's Avon (or Melaleuca, or Herbalife, or Tupperware, or even Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing). I'm an affiliate for SBI! (or Amazon or Iris Silks or the Internet Marketers Club). Don't they do all that marketing stuff for me?
It's true you can capitalize off the name recognition of many of these companies. Do you think that fact that Fortune markets for companies like AT&T, DishTV, and Travelocity helps me when I talk about the business? Sure it does. But I still need to let people know what it is I do. That's marketing! If you are not doing anything to promote yourself and your business, it WILL fail. Every evening, I write down a list of things I need to do the next day. I always include at least 1 thing I can do to promote my business. You should be doing the same thing. If you don't know how to market, there are lots of great books and resources available to help you learn. The first marketing books I ever read were Guerrilla Marketing and Marketing on a Shoestring. I can't even remember who wrote them but I remember and still use much of what they taught me.
Okay - business plan, marketing - now you're all set. Right? Maybe. Don't forget the last reason so many home businesses fail - poor management. I know you're thinking "what's to manage? It's just me." Sometimes managing yourself can be more difficult than you realize. Learning to manage your time and available resources effectively can be hard. Read some of my earlier posts about treating your business like a business for more insight and don't start out on the wrong path like I did. It's much easier to develop good habits from the beginning than it is to change bad ones.
Plan, market, manage. Or as I've heard it put from so many of my colleagues and mentors - Plan your work. Work your plan. Failure or success? The choice is yours.
1. Poor planning
2. Poor marketing
3. Poor management
According to a report I read recently, over 90% of all network marketers, affiliate marketers or other work-at-home business people quit within the first year. Then they proceed to go out and tell everyone they know that you can't make money with a home business. It drives me crazy when I think how many people could have been successful with just a little planning, training, and time management.
If you think you have the idea for the next great business, or you've found the perfect MLM, or an excellent affiliate program - GREAT! Now, before you do anything else, write your plan. If your business is already somewhat established such as a network marketing, MLM, or affiliate program, much of that is already done for you. But you still need to plan how you are going to build YOUR team or downline or customer base or opt-in list. If you are actually looking a starting your own unique business then get a business plan template (most banks will give you one for free) and write your business plan.
82% of businesses fail due to poor cash flow or by starting out with too little money. Make sure you look at the money involved in starting your business. Many network marketing and MLM opportunities say they cost little or nothing to join. That may be true. They neglect to tell you that you have to spend hundreds of dollars each month to purchase products in order to make any money. Don't be like a friend of mine who joined a MLM company and quit her job two days later because she was going to make a fortune! Needless to say, she is back at work, in debt, and very bitter about the whole MLM industry. Could she be at home today making a decent living from this company? Possibly. But she did not consider all of the financial costs involved with successfully marketing an MLM opportunity and had nothing to fall back on until she built a business.
So you wrote your plan. You examined the financial costs of your business. You have the cash to make this work. You have a source of income or some savings put aside to live on until you start bringing in enough income to live on. You're on your way to success. Wait a minute! What was that second reason most businesses fail? Something about marketing? Oh well, it can't be that important. After all, it's Avon (or Melaleuca, or Herbalife, or Tupperware, or even Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing). I'm an affiliate for SBI! (or Amazon or Iris Silks or the Internet Marketers Club). Don't they do all that marketing stuff for me?
It's true you can capitalize off the name recognition of many of these companies. Do you think that fact that Fortune markets for companies like AT&T, DishTV, and Travelocity helps me when I talk about the business? Sure it does. But I still need to let people know what it is I do. That's marketing! If you are not doing anything to promote yourself and your business, it WILL fail. Every evening, I write down a list of things I need to do the next day. I always include at least 1 thing I can do to promote my business. You should be doing the same thing. If you don't know how to market, there are lots of great books and resources available to help you learn. The first marketing books I ever read were Guerrilla Marketing and Marketing on a Shoestring. I can't even remember who wrote them but I remember and still use much of what they taught me.
Okay - business plan, marketing - now you're all set. Right? Maybe. Don't forget the last reason so many home businesses fail - poor management. I know you're thinking "what's to manage? It's just me." Sometimes managing yourself can be more difficult than you realize. Learning to manage your time and available resources effectively can be hard. Read some of my earlier posts about treating your business like a business for more insight and don't start out on the wrong path like I did. It's much easier to develop good habits from the beginning than it is to change bad ones.
Plan, market, manage. Or as I've heard it put from so many of my colleagues and mentors - Plan your work. Work your plan. Failure or success? The choice is yours.
A free gift for you - 7 hours of DVD training!
I just stumbled across the craziest news...
... Derek Gehl is giving away his $297 "Internet Millionaire's Protege Bootcamp" DVDs for FREE!
This means you can get 7 hours of professional online business training in the comfort of your very own home -- and all YOU have to pay is the cost of shipping the package to your door! But apparently there are only 121 copies of Derek's world-class training DVDs left...
...So to claim your free 7-hour DVD training system now, go to: www.marketingtips.com/free-dvds/t/649426
Derek is also throwing in a free 30-day membership to his exclusive Internet Entrepreneur Club...
Which means you'll have unlimited access to his online building experts -- and can ask them any questions you want -- for a whole month! To claim your free 7-hour DVD training system, go to: www.marketingtips.com/free-dvds/t/649426
I purchased these DVD's when they first came out and I've been a member of his Internet Entrepreneur Club almost from the beginning. I highly recommend both. In fact, Derek is one of those 'gurus' I talk about - a lot. I listen to ANYTHING he says!
... Derek Gehl is giving away his $297 "Internet Millionaire's Protege Bootcamp" DVDs for FREE!
This means you can get 7 hours of professional online business training in the comfort of your very own home -- and all YOU have to pay is the cost of shipping the package to your door! But apparently there are only 121 copies of Derek's world-class training DVDs left...
...So to claim your free 7-hour DVD training system now, go to: www.marketingtips.com/free-dvds/t/649426
Derek is also throwing in a free 30-day membership to his exclusive Internet Entrepreneur Club...
Which means you'll have unlimited access to his online building experts -- and can ask them any questions you want -- for a whole month! To claim your free 7-hour DVD training system, go to: www.marketingtips.com/free-dvds/t/649426
I purchased these DVD's when they first came out and I've been a member of his Internet Entrepreneur Club almost from the beginning. I highly recommend both. In fact, Derek is one of those 'gurus' I talk about - a lot. I listen to ANYTHING he says!
Friday, March 7, 2008
How to make money with affiliate marketing
Just got another email from a friend of mine. I'll let you read the main point:
"You told me it was easy to make money on the internet. You said you do it all the time. So I got online and I'm sitting here not making any money. What gives? Is this a scam? I thought we were friends!"
I get phone calls and emails like this all the time. Someone hears I have an online business. They call or email me to see if it's true. They ask how much money I'm making. (Never, EVER, answer that question unless you want to get this phone call: "You told me I could make MILLIONS!"). I tell them I make enough to live on. So they get all excited and the next thing I get is an email or a phone call stating that they too have started an internet business.
Let's get two things straight right now. Starting an internet business involves a bit more than signing up for some affiliate programs and then sitting in front of the computer waiting for the money to start coming in. However, if you have some discipline and can learn from those who really do make millions online, then you can make a decent living on the internet.
So what does it take to get started in affiliate marketing? It's fairly simple. Decide on your market. Try to choose something you are passionate about so you'll stick with it long enough to see some results. Could it be health and fitness, cooking, gardening, travel, crafts, juggling? These are all businesses that have been started by friends of mine and each of them are making a good living.
Next, find affiliate programs that pertain to your market. The best place to do this Affiliate Showcase (http://www.affiliateshowcase.com/?46035). This site gives you access to literally hundreds of the best affiliate programs available. Plus you can also market Affiliate Showcase itself!
The next step is to figure out a way to reach your potential customers. You will need some sort of web presence. While most affiliate programs provide you with a website, these are all cookie cutter sites with nothing to set them apart from every other affiliate. You need something of your own. If you can't afford to hire a web designer and don't know how to build your own website, there are a couple of options. You can try a great product called SiteBuildIt! (http://buildit.sitesell.com/wealthtogether.html) to create your site. Or you can create a blog which works almost as well as a website to get you started.
Once you have identified your business niche, your products, created your website or blog, then it's time to market your products to your prospective customers. There are all kinds of ways to do this and what works for one may not work for you. The best way to learn about internet marketing is to study what the experts have to say. Learn all you can from people like Ken McArthur, Derek Gehl, Mike Filsame, Sterling Valentine, Michael Angier, Yanik Silver, or Mike Litman. If you can buy some of their products, great. If not, at least sign up for their mailing lists and newsletters. They are the "gurus" in this business and can teach you all you need to know. How do I know? Who do you think taught me? (I have even had the honor of personally meeting Ken McArthur and Michael Angier and they are two great guys!).
This is just a brief outline of how to start an online business using affiliate programs. There simply isn't room to go in depth here. But if you will follow these basic steps and listen to the experts, you can make money online.
"You told me it was easy to make money on the internet. You said you do it all the time. So I got online and I'm sitting here not making any money. What gives? Is this a scam? I thought we were friends!"
I get phone calls and emails like this all the time. Someone hears I have an online business. They call or email me to see if it's true. They ask how much money I'm making. (Never, EVER, answer that question unless you want to get this phone call: "You told me I could make MILLIONS!"). I tell them I make enough to live on. So they get all excited and the next thing I get is an email or a phone call stating that they too have started an internet business.
Let's get two things straight right now. Starting an internet business involves a bit more than signing up for some affiliate programs and then sitting in front of the computer waiting for the money to start coming in. However, if you have some discipline and can learn from those who really do make millions online, then you can make a decent living on the internet.
So what does it take to get started in affiliate marketing? It's fairly simple. Decide on your market. Try to choose something you are passionate about so you'll stick with it long enough to see some results. Could it be health and fitness, cooking, gardening, travel, crafts, juggling? These are all businesses that have been started by friends of mine and each of them are making a good living.
Next, find affiliate programs that pertain to your market. The best place to do this Affiliate Showcase (http://www.affiliateshowcase.com/?46035). This site gives you access to literally hundreds of the best affiliate programs available. Plus you can also market Affiliate Showcase itself!
The next step is to figure out a way to reach your potential customers. You will need some sort of web presence. While most affiliate programs provide you with a website, these are all cookie cutter sites with nothing to set them apart from every other affiliate. You need something of your own. If you can't afford to hire a web designer and don't know how to build your own website, there are a couple of options. You can try a great product called SiteBuildIt! (http://buildit.sitesell.com/wealthtogether.html) to create your site. Or you can create a blog which works almost as well as a website to get you started.
Once you have identified your business niche, your products, created your website or blog, then it's time to market your products to your prospective customers. There are all kinds of ways to do this and what works for one may not work for you. The best way to learn about internet marketing is to study what the experts have to say. Learn all you can from people like Ken McArthur, Derek Gehl, Mike Filsame, Sterling Valentine, Michael Angier, Yanik Silver, or Mike Litman. If you can buy some of their products, great. If not, at least sign up for their mailing lists and newsletters. They are the "gurus" in this business and can teach you all you need to know. How do I know? Who do you think taught me? (I have even had the honor of personally meeting Ken McArthur and Michael Angier and they are two great guys!).
This is just a brief outline of how to start an online business using affiliate programs. There simply isn't room to go in depth here. But if you will follow these basic steps and listen to the experts, you can make money online.
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